Ranji Trophy: Pondy edge past Meghalaya to register fourth successive win

CHENNAI: Pondicherry registered a five-wicket win over Meghalaya in their Ranji Trophy Plate Group clash in Mangaldoi on Sunday. During the course of the nervy win, Pondicherry had many anxious moments before crossing the finish line. The low-scoring affair saw Pondy take a 15-run lead in the first innings. The experienced Vinay Kumar took 5 for 27 helped Pondy bowl out Meghalaya for 63 in their second innings.
A target of 49 proved to be a tricky one as Pondy slipped to 7 for 3 with S Anand, skipper D Rohit and Paras Dogra back in the pavilion.KB Arun Karthick and Vinay contributed with 13 runs each before they perished. S Karthik and Sagar Trivedi then chipped in with 7 runs apiece to help Pondy register their fourth successive win this season. Pondy lead the Plate Group points table with 27 points from 4 outings. Goa is second on 23 after having played the same number of matches.
Rohit didn’t mince words while slamming the nature of the wicket. "This wicket wasn’t a first-class wicket at all. Batsmen from both sides found it so difficult to bat on this pitch. Some of the deliveries were keeping low while some took off," Rohit told TOI. Rohit felt the team showed a lot of character when the going got tough. "We had a poor start in the second innings but were able to hold our nerve to seal the deal," said Rohit. Pondy will next be taking on Goa from January 11.
Brief scores: Pondicherry 80 & 49/5 in 12.3 overs (Abhay Negi 3-15). Meghalaya 65 & 63 in 26 overs (Vinay Kumar 5-27). Pondicherry won by 5 wickets